Current Affairs: February 15-16th, 2018

February 15-16th, 2018

1. South Africa’s new President Cyril Ramaphosa set to address the nation after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.

• Jacob Zuma resigned as President of South Africa, reluctantly heeding orders by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to bring an end to his nine scandal-plagued years in power.
• South Africa’s new President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing to give his first state of the nation address to a country with high expectations as he vows to curb corruption that flourished under his predecessor.
• Static Part: South Africa:-Capital- Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), Cape Town (legislative)|Currency- Rand|South Africa is one of the members of BRICS group.

2. Mumbai to host TiE the largest Global Entrepreneurial Leadership Summit.

• The TiE Global Summit (TGS) will be held in Mumbai on February 21 and 22. Helmed by TiE Mumbai, the second edition of the summit will have over 2000 participants, including successful entrepreneurs, industry leaders, leading investors, senior corporate professionals and academia in attendance at the J W Marriott Sahar.
• The summit is being held in association with leading government agencies and over 20 TiE chapters across India, USA, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, and Dubai, with the aim of setting the tone for the next wave of business and innovation.

3. Indian boxers emerged with a massive tally of 10 medals, which include five gold, one silver, and four bronze medals, at the 18th Asian Games Invitational Test Tournament 2018, in Jakarta, Indonesia.

• Manish Kaushik, K.Shyam Kumar, Shaikh Salman Anwar and Ashish won a gold each in their respective categories while Pavitra was the lone Indian gold-winner in the 60-kilogram category of women’s draw.
• It was the second successive top finish for Manish Kaushik since claiming the national title last year.Shashi Chopra, also a bronze-medallist at last month’s India Open, settled for a silver medal.
• Signing off with bronze medals were Muhammed Etash Khan, Ritu Grewal, Pawan Kumar and Ashish Kumar in respective categories.
• Static Part: Indonesia:-Currency- Indonesian rupiah|Capital- Jakarta|President- Joko Widodo.

4. Punjab National Bank detects Rs 11,300 crore fraudulent transactions at Mumbai branch.

• State-run Punjab National Bank (PNB) said it had detected some “fraudulent and unauthorized” transactions worth about $1.77 billion (about Rs 11, 300 crores) at one of its branches in Mumbai.
• The bank said the transactions were for the benefit of a few select account holders (fashion jeweler Nirav Modi and Gitanjali Gems owned by Mehul Choksi) with their apparent connivance.
• PNB, the country’s second-biggest state-run lender and fourth-biggest overall by assets.
• Static Part: PNB:- CEO- Sunil Mehta|Headquarters- New Delhi.

5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the World Sustainable Development Summit-2018 at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

• The theme of the three-day summit is “partnerships for a resilient planet”. The summit is the flagship forum of the Energy and Resources Institute.
• The meet seeks to discuss on a wide variety of issues, including combating land degradation, effective waste management mechanisms, combat air pollution effectively and create financial mechanisms to enable effective climate change mitigation.
• Over two thousand delegates had participated in the summit, including several Central Ministers, policymakers, researchers, diplomats and corporates from around the world.

6. K P Sharma Oli becomes Nepal PM for the second time.

• CPN-UML chairperson KP Sharma Oli was sworn in as the 41st Prime Minister of Nepal. He took his oath of office and secretary before President Bidya Devi Bhandari amidst a ceremony.
• Mr. Oli, who is known for his pro-China stance, had served as the country’s prime minister from October 11, 2015, to August 3, 2016.
• Earlier, former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba had addressed the nation and submitted his resignation to the president.

7. Ashok Das, a 1987-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, appointed next Ambassador of India to Brazil.

• Mr. Ashok Das is presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Federative Republic of Brazil.
• He is expected to take up his assignment shortly. He is presently Additional Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs.
• Static Part: Brazil:– President- Michel Temer|Capital- Brasília|Currency- real.

8. Former Union minister and veteran TDP leader Bolla Bulliramaiah passed away.

• Mr. Bulliramaiah was known as a genial person, joined the TDP during its inception and became an MP in 1984.
• He was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Eluru constituency, Andhra Pradesh in 1991, 1996 and 1999 and served as the Union minister of state for commerce during 1996-98 in the United Front government.

9. Meghalaya Governor inaugurates the Maitri Dwar, a gate of friendship between India and Bangladesh.

• Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad has inaugurated the “Friendship Gate” constructed with an aim to have a Wagah-like beating retreat ceremony for the Indian and Bangladesh border guards.
• The Friendship Gate has been constructed near Integrated Check post, 90 km South of capital Shillong on the border with Bangladesh. The Governor also inaugurated a border observation post of the BSF at Umsyiem in East Khasi Hills.
• Static Part: Meghalaya:- Chief Minister- Mukul M. Sangma|Balpakram National Park, Nokrek National Park are located in Meghalaya.

10. India’s first radio festival to be held in New Delhi.

• India’s first radio festival was held in Delhi on February 15, 2018.
• The festival was organized by the International of Women in Radio and Television, in collaboration with UNESCO. The radio festival was held to mark World Radio Day 2018, which was on February 13.

11. Tamil Nadu wins the maiden senior national football championship in Cuttack, Odisha.

• Tamil Nadu beat Manipur 2-1 to lift their maiden title in the 23rd edition of the Senior Women’s National Football Championship.
• Tamil Nadu created history by becoming champions in their first-ever final with Indumathi scoring the opener in the 3rd minute while Indrani made it 2-0 in the 40th minute.
• Static Part: Tamil Nadu:- CM- Edappadi K Palaniswami|Governor- Banwarilal Purohit.

12. Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn submits resignation after protests.

• Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced that he has submitted a resignation letter after the worst anti-government protests in a quarter-century.
• Ethiopia has been rocked by months of protests demanding wider freedoms that have left hundreds dead and tens of thousands detained. The protests have disrupted life and business in one of Africa’s fastest-growing economies.
• Static Part: Ethiopia:- Capital- Addis Ababa|Currency- Birr.

13. Haruhiko Kuroda Reappointed As Bank Of Japan (BOJ) Governor.

• Japan’s government has reappointed Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda for another term and chose an advocate of bolder monetary easing as one of his deputies, a sign the central bank will be in no rush to dial back its massive stimulus program.
• The government also submitted to parliament its nomination of Masazumi Wakatabe, a professor at Waseda University and an advocate of aggressive monetary easing, as deputy governor.
• Static Part: 1. The Bank of Japan (BOJ)- Central bank of Japan|Headquarters- Tokyo, Japan.
  2. Japan:- Capital- Tokyo|Currency- Japanese yen|Stock Market Index – Nikkei.